The Waltz
by DChan87
Summary: Based on a Tumblr prompt. Keith is set to accompany Allura to a Coalition Ball. However, the close proximity between the two causes them to re-evaluate their feelings for each other.


Tumblr prompts: #20, "The way you flirt is shameful," #24 "Damn. You clean up good." For Kallura.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Coran, this is embarrassing," Keith grumbled while he danced with Princess Allura.

"If you're going to dance with Allura, you're going to have to have a better attitude!" Coran cheerfully scolded.

"Come on, Keith, cheer up!" Allura encouraged him.

"Watch where you're stepping!" Coran interjected. "Now then, on my lead; one, two, three, _four._ One, two, three, _four_. One, two, three, _four_."

Keith cringed and groaned. This was happening because the Coalition leaders were hosting a ball in Allura and Voltron's honor, and as if seemingly on a whim, Allura had asked Keith to accompany her. Since formal occasions and ballroom dancing still weren't Keith's forte—he'd gone off with the Blade of Marmoa, or the Bunch of Marmites, as the rest of Team Voltron were calling them now—to avoid shit like this… and because he was afraid of rejection… Coran insisted on teaching Keith the finer basics of the occasion.

Coran held the lesson in a large room in the Olkari capital. In terms of size, the room was not as big as a ballroom, but big enough to allow Coran to teach the young Black Paladin how to ballroom dance and practice with Allura at the same time. Luckily for Keith, the movements were uncannily like the ballroom dancing on earth, like he would've seen at the end of those century-old Disney movies. However, he was utterly embarrassed, not just because he was learning to dance with Coran, but because Hunk, Lance and Pidge had wandered upon the lesson, and Coran vehemently refused to leave the room. So now the Garrison trio were eager spectators, happy to watch him be embarrassed.

"And stop giving the, 'oh, I was on a space whale with my mother for two years and forgot about basic manners' excuse!"

"I didn't say anything!"

"Oh, but I know you were thinking it!" Coran scolded. "I can see it from over here!"

"Yeah! You know how bad that Marmite suit smells?" Lance heckled.

"What does that have to do with dancing?" Keith asked.

"Um, hello! It's called 'hygiene'!" Coran answered matter-of-factly.

"I lived by myself for a year and _still_ took showers!" Keith spat. "And weren't we supposed to be _dancing_?"

"Wouldn't you rather be dancing with your _mommy_ —OW! Cor-raaaan!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Coran interrupted as he walked over to the giggling Garrison trio, smacking Lance while simultaneously wagging his finger. "Keith's right, we're supposed to be learning how to dance." He turned around and turned back to Keith and Allura. Utterly mortified, Keith tried to hide his blushing, but was unsuccessful, due to Coran taking his arms and making the young man and Altean princess get back in position.

"You owe me for this, Coran," he muttered.

"If that's your way of flirting with Allura, you've got a long way to go," said Coran.

"Huh!?"

"The way you flirt is shameful!" Allura playfully scolded.

Sighing, Keith shifted his focus back to the dance and the steps Allura led him through. As mentioned earlier, the dance's uncanny resemblance to earth waltzes and other ballroom dances made it easier for him to learn the steps, assisted by the steps themselves being projected onto the floor. To be perfectly honest, he'd rather have his first dance with Allura at a honky-tonk or western bar in Texas or his Arizona home, close to the Garrison. But he reminded himself that he was doing this for Allura, and he had to do his best, despite his reluctance and shyness.

He was doing well. Obviously, he did stumble a couple of times, but now he was settling into a rhythm, holding one of Allura's hands and his other hand on the Princess's hip. Once again, it was super awkward. At least Coran wasn't literally showing him the moves. However, dancing with Allura felt natural, and not just because the steps were relatively simple. Being so close to her, holding her hand and waist like this put him at ease. He liked it. It's probably why he wasn't too nervous. Allura also looked very pretty; he hadn't seen her let her hair down in years. Just the pure sensation of softness made him want to pull her closer to her.

For her part, Allura also felt like dancing with Keith felt natural. She was even more impressed that he was learning the steps so quickly. She could see that he wasn't too nervous, but very concerned. But something about him makes her feel… _different_. There was no question that he'd gotten older and handsomer. Everyone acknowledged that. But seeing his change up close, and finding out that he was _taller_ than her was what made her feel different. And it felt good to be so close to him, and she wanted to get closer.

"Keith, relax!" Allura chuckled her whisper. "You're not the one performing diplomacy. You just have to show up and look handsome next to me."

"Thanks," he said, unsure if he should be flattered.

"I would prefer it if you would—" On Coran's exclamative prompt, Keith stopped and spun Allura. Her hair and dress flared outwards, then Keith pulled her back towards him and they resumed their normal position. "If you would actually _try_ to work on the diplomacy. You _are_ Black Paladin. And there were those outbursts."

Those outbursts were the ones he had after Shiro's first disappearance. He'd told Krolia about one of them in front of those diplomats, and he was immediately as embarrassed as he could get with an audience of just his mother and a space dog.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Done what?"

"Those outbursts."

"Oh. … Thanks."

" _Pay_ attention!" Coran interjected. Keith and Allura simultaneously whipped their heads to look at Coran. Then, something, they were unsure exactly what it was, happened to cause the pair to trip and fall to the floor. It was all so sudden and unexpected.

Just as unexpected, Keith didn't know what had happened, but Allura was on top of him. Her scent of juniberries hit his nostrils, as did the sensation of her soft gown. And that was before her hair tumbled down the side of her face, obscuring both of theirs from everyone else. He didn't know why she wasn't on top of his chest, but he realized that he'd caught her. But both were touching, causing a funny feeling to swell in their chests besides the usual embarrassment.

"KEEE-EEEITH!" Lance bellowed, drawing their attention away from themselves. "What the quiznak—OW!"

"Allura already rejected you! Palen bol!" Coran interjected, whacking him with a stick.

"Seriously!? Palen bol!?"

"Yeah, I taught 'im that," Pidge said, giving Hunk a sly grin. The larger Yellow Paladin returned the sly grin.

"Sorry, Keith," Allura said, trying to make it look like she wasn't scrambling to her feet.

"That's okay," he said quietly. He didn't expect to miss her presence when she got up. And Allura was disappointed that she had to get up off him.

"We still need to work on the steps," Coran sighed. "Now get back in position, the both of you!" At the sound of Coran's rapid clapping, the pair got back into position, and resumed their practicing when Coran re-started the rhythm.

"Are you nervous?" Keith quietly asked her.

"Very," she said. "Thanks for asking. I don't know if I could've told Lance…"

"Good," he said, unaware of the twinge of jealousy he felt at the mention of Lance.

"Please don't be jealous," she whispered again.

"I'm sorry."

"Focus!" Coran called. "We don't want another mistake!"

"Sorry, Coran!" Allura called.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The lessons finally ended almost 2 vargas later when Coran let the pair go. They immediately retreated to their respective quarters, tired from all the dancing, and relieved that they didn't have to worry about it for another quintant. Or until the next time they have to form Voltron. Honestly, forming Voltron was a lot easier than dancing.

The mice scurried over to and gathered around Allura as soon as she walked in the room, slumped over and about ready to fall onto the floor. Luckily, she collapsed on her bed, but only her torso. Groaning a sigh (and making a _very_ unflattering expression), she dragged herself up onto the bed and flopped over on her back. "UGH! I never thought I'd be more comfortable fighting than dancing," she grumbled.

The mice scurried up onto her bed and gathered around her. "If you were any bigger, I'd ask you all to give me a massage," she chuckled. After listening to their squeaks, she said, "Well, if you want to try." The mice promptly scurried over to her legs and began trying to massage her aching legs through her dress fabric. "That actually feels really nice. Thanks!"

The mice squeaked their responses. Sinking back further into the bed, Allura let out another long sigh. Plachu, the mouse who looked like he was always scowling, broke away from the group and scurried over to Allura's face. Seeing the mouse in the corner of her right eye, Allura turned and smiled at him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Plachu squeaked a couple things. Allura's smile faded. "I don't know. Ever since he returned, I feel like something's changed," she said. "It's not like how I originally felt for him. Or towards Lance." Plachu squeaked again. "Why would I—never mind. Yes, Shiro's good, but—" Plachu squeaked again. "Whaaaaat? Huh. Well, anyway, I'm _not_ jealous of Shiro."

After listening to Plachu going on a little longer, she said, "Yes, but… really? He's like a brother to me. He's strong, he's brave, he's loyal, he's determined, and that fire in his eyes… the only times I ever saw them dim were when he was leaving. And I wanted to tell him that—never mind. I mean, it's kind of like how Keith sees Shiro. Right?"

She turned on her side to look at Plachu. The other mice had to scurry back on top of her dress. They watched as Plachu kept going. "So you're saying that you think my feelings for Keith are nothing like his for Shiro's, and that I—what!?" She shot up on her bed. The other mice almost fell off the bed. "How could you say that!? You've seen my—oh, no!" She turned bright red.

Bits and snippets of dreams flashed in her head; images of her and Keith spending time together, _canoodling_ , and…

She rolled over onto her stomach, covering her head with her pillow. "Please stop!" she groaned. "Why would I want to… spend… the rest… oh, _gods!_ " She didn't say anything for several moments, and then she said, "Good point. Who wouldn't want to marry him?"

"Marry who?" Allura shot up in bed, almost throwing the mice off of her.

"Coran!" she sputtered, "When did you get here?"

"Just now," he answered. "Were you talking about Keith?"

"Howdid you—wait! Nonononono, I wasn't talking about Keith!"

Coran raised his eyebrow. "You were talking about him with the mice, weren't you?"

Allura pulled her legs into her chest, and balled up one of her fists. "You really know me, don't you?"

"You said it yourself, I'm like a second father to you," he said, walking over to her. Sitting on the bed, he gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "You're going through a hard time. It's okay if you don't want to fall in love again."

"Thanks, Coran."

"But you can't help yourself," he said.

"And I don't want to fall in love so soon after what happened with Lotor."

Coran nodded. "Keith's a good man. I can understand why you would be drawn to him."

"Every time I look into his eyes, I see this burning motivation," she said. "And yet, I also see softness. I almost felt betrayed when I found out he was Galra, but… I was able to open up to him."

"And he opened up to you," said Coran.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Have you seen how he behaves around you?" Coran asked. "He trusts you."

"Coran, what are you—"

"I'm not saying you have to go right to him," said Coran, "But I'll support whatever you want to do."

Tears welling up in her eyes, Allura said, "Thanks, Coran."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Keith was not expecting to see his mother waiting for him outside his room when he got back. He thought that she'd returned to the Blade of Marmora to make her report to Kolivan, but it turned out she did not. And since she didn't have a room, he offered to let her stay in his.

They passed the time in a comfortable silence, just like they did in the two years they spent on the whale voyaging to the quantum abyss. Keith brushed his space dog's fur and Krolia tended to Shiro. The former Black Paladin was still recovering. He also expressed dismay that he missed seeing Keith and Allura dance, at which point his mood turned sour. Krolia didn't press the matter, but she could see that something was troubling Shiro.

"So he really did tell you everything, huh?" Shiro chuckled.

"Don't go farther, Shiro," Keith warned.

"I'm more interested in how the dancing lessons went, now that you mentioned them, Shiro," said Krolia. "Keith, how were they? Are you tired?"

Keith chuckled. "Yeah, they were tough. Almost tougher than everything Shiro, Voltron and the Blade put me through."

"If you think Coran's tougher than I am, then it must've been rough," Shiro chuckled. "I'm actually kind of insulted."

"What's it for?" Krolia asked.

"Coalition event coming up," Keith answered. "Allura asked me to the dance."

"Oh," said Krolia. "Do you enjoy spending time with her?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, "A lot. She's soft. And her hair reminds me of home. It just feels natural to be so close to her. I don't know what it is."

Even though the room was already quiet, Keith was surprised that it could get even quieter the moment those words came out of his mouth. To be specific, the atmosphere changed from comfortable to kind of awkward, at least on his end, prompting him to turn towards his two parental figures. They were both staring at him, but not in shock, but they were smirking. "I already told you about it!"

"We remember that," said Krolia.

Shiro just lightly chuckled. "I've seen that face before. You love her, don't you?"

Keith spun around, accidentally knocking the dog off his lap, and blushing bright red. "Wha-what are you talking about!?"

"Come _on_ ," Shiro teased. "You think I don't know you?"

"And I've seen your father wear that exact same expression," Krolia added.

"Mooooom!"

"I never thought I'd ever hear that," Shiro quipped. "It's Allura, isn't it?"

"Why do you think it's her?" Keith asked skeptically.

"You two have always seemed very close," said Shiro. "I noticed you gravitated towards her a lot, and the same thing for her. I think she likes you, too."

"I don't get it," he said. "I thought she hated me for so long. We didn't even separate on the best terms. She hurt me."

"Because you let her get under your skin," said Shiro. "It's amazing; it took me a long time just to convince you to join the Garrison. But it seems like she just slipped right in there.

"I know it must be difficult to let someone in like that," Shiro continued, "But I think that she really does mean a lot to you."

"What do you think?"

"I know you can figure it out for yourself," said Shiro. "What I do know is, is that she already means a lot to you.

"But Keith, whatever you do," Shiro said, before choking up, "Don't make the same mistake either of us made."

It took a second for Keith to process what Shiro was saying, but he understood fairly quickly. "I got it," he said. "By the way… Adam wants to see you again."

It was Shiro's turn to be floored now. Staying silent, Shiro seemed as if he couldn't decide what to say. Tears glistening, he finally gathered himself up and said, "How do you know for certain?"

"Before we found Voltron, I ran into him at the Garrison town," said Keith, "He told me himself. He asked me to bring you back to him so he could apologize."

"Who's Adam?" Krolia asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now," Shiro said, the bitterness evident in his voice. "This isn't about me, it's about you. Keith, you should focus on getting ready for the dance. Besides, you've missed out on a lot of diplomacy. Time to brush up!"

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The day of the Coalition Ball finally came, and Allura was ready.

Nervous, but ready.

She waited at the ballroom entrance, greeting dignitaries as they made their way inside. Inside, the ball was just getting underway, but no one was dancing yet. They were waiting for her and Keith to dance first. Said dance was the Altean Waltz she and Keith had been practicing for "weeks" now. She used the term "weeks" because they would soon reach Earth. She had to learn Earth phrases and concepts the same way the Paladins had to get used to Altean phrases and concepts. It was a two-way street, and she was actually enjoying it. Pidge and Lance had been teaching her these things called "memes", but they were… odd.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she refocused on her task at hand. She didn't recognize most of the dignitaries—a problem that came with diplomacy—except for Ryner, who arrived just in the nick of time to greet the Princess. "Princess Allura!" she called.

"Hello, Ryner," Allura said, curtseying. She wore an Altean ballgown similar to her old Princess gown. The biggest difference was that it left the shoulders and arms bare. Her hair was bunched up in a bun, but unlike her battle bun, the hair wasn't bunched up so high.

"You look beautiful," said Ryner.

"Thank you," Allura said with a blush.

"Are you scared, dear?"

"I've faced worse," Allura chuckled. "I think I can handle this."

"Of course," Ryner chuckled. "I wouldn't expect any less from the leader of the Coalition, a Paladin of Voltron and the daughter of King Alfor."

"He'd be proud," she said.

"Yes, he would," said Ryner. "But he's not here. This is your time. You'll do amazing."

"Thank you, Ryner," said Allura.

"By the way, who's accompanying you?"

"The Black Paladin, Keith," said Allura.

"Oh, I have not seen him in so long. Where is he?"

"He's not here yet," Allura answered. "He'll be here when he gets here."

"Well, if you need company, would you mind if I helped you greet guests?"

"That would be lovely!" Allura said, beaming. "Please, be my guest!"

"Thank you, Princess," said Ryner.

Both women stood next to each other at the ballroom entrance, greeting the arriving dignitaries for the next several dobashes. Allura had little trouble. There were still so many arriving that she was able to keep her mind off Keith. That is, until the line of dignitaries began to thin as the time to begin the actual ball was to begin drew nearer. She habitually looked away from the dignitaries after they left to see if Keith was coming yet. To her dismay, he was not there just yet. To keep up appearances, she simply explained to the arriving guests that she was a little nervous. Honesty was a good policy, and they understood. She was very young, after all.

But as she waited, her anxiety worsened. Balling her hand into a fist, she wondered what would be keeping Keith so long.

"Are you alright, dear?" Ryner asked.

"Yes, but, I'm just worried about Keith."

Ryner chuckled. "I'm sure he'll be here. I don't think he'd want to miss this."

"He left us for months," said Allura. "I feel like I and the others drove him away."

"Don't let your guilt get to you, dear," said Ryner. "I assume that he means a lot to you if you asked him to accompany you."

"I suppose," Allura sighed. Coran's suggestion that she think over her feelings for Keith echoed in her mind again. As much as she insisted to herself, it was becoming quite clear that her feelings for him weren't brotherly, familial or anything else; they were indeed romantic. And coming so soon after Lotor, too."

"Ah, here he comes!"

Allura didn't realize she was looking down until she looked up, and she was stunned by what she saw. Keith approached, accompanied by his mother Krolia, who wore a formal Galra dress. But Keith was… beyond handsome. He wore a black tuxedo and waistcoat, with a red and black carnation on his left jacket lapel. And, to top it off, he'd gotten a haircut, and it was slicked down and back. Allura gasped and her eyes widened. _Just when I thought he couldn't get any more handsome_ , she thought.

Allura wasn't the only one stunned by the others' radiance. Keith kept his expression stony as best he could, but he was doing his best not to turn into a blushing wreck. Krolia kept him calm, laying her hand on her son's shoulder, and looked the proud mother she was playing. Actually, she wasn't playing a proud mother, because she was genuinely proud of him. She also chuckled at seeing how nervous he was to see Allura's beauty.

They approached and bowed to Ryner and Allura. Ryner shared a knowing look with Krolia before she greeted the Blade of Marmora member and they both went inside the ballroom, leaving Keith and Allura to themselves. They could hear the many conversations going on in the ballroom. The guests were ready to begin the main event, but they still had to wait for the man and woman of the hour.

However, they were both so stunned by each other's' appearances that they had difficulty getting started.

Finally, Allura said, "You… clean up good."

"Thanks," he answered. "So do you." He held his hand out to her. She took it, and he led her inside.

"Allura, the Princess of Altea, leader of the Voltron Coalition, and Blue Paladin of Voltron!" the crier announced, "Accompanied by Keith Kogane of earth, the Black Paladin and leader of Voltron!" The crowd erupted in a formal applause. Keith and Allura waved at the spectators. Spotting their friends in the crowd—Lance and Pidge were close together, Hunk was crying and Shiro had the second-proudest look on his face after Krolia—the two calmed down. A quick smile shared between them both also helped to calm their nerves.

They walked to the center of the dance floor and assumed their position. Coran turned to the maestro and gave the signal. The music began gently; a melody that Keith and Allura had been practicing to. Keith took the first step, and Allura followed. The vargas of practice had paid off. They both moved gracefully and effortlessly through the steps, never once miss-stepping. Any anxiety they'd had beforehand disappeared, as they focused on themselves; what they were doing, and what the partner was doing. Every now and then, they had to stop so Keith could spin her. Again, they perfectly executed these. The crowd applauded each time.

"You're doing amazing," Allura whispered.

"Thanks," he answered. "Sorry I kept you waiting."

"I'm just glad you arrived," she said.

"Why would I miss this?" he asked with a smirk. It made Allura blush.

"Of course," she said. "You sure took your time. Fashionably late, I suppose?"

"Something like that," he answered. He didn't mention that his hair was so unruly, and that's why it took so long.

The waltz ended. They both stopped in a graceful pose. The audience erupted in applause. Relieved, Allura practically jumped into his arms. He hugged her back. She pulled back, embarrassed for what she'd done, but seeing the smile on his lips changed her mind.

"I think we can… start something new," she said.

"You think so?" he asked. "You mean—"

"You… feel the same way that I feel to you?"

"Now you tell me."

Allura chuckled. Yes, she did feel that way about Keith. And she didn't have to put up with so much drama, either.

She kissed him without hesitation, and he returned it without any on his end. The crowd, unaware of what was going on between the two, roared their approval. The only person unhappy about it was Lance, but he was surrounded by his beaming teammates.

"Attaboy, Keith," said Shiro.

"It's so beautiful!" Hunk sobbed.

"Too bad someone can't get over the fact he never had a chance," Pidge mused.

"Shut up!" Lance sobbed.

"I'm with Shiro," said Krolia. "Attaboy, Keith."

"Congratulations, Allura," Coran whispered.

The couple broke the kiss and walked hand-in-hand over to the dais to begin the formal ceremonies. They were both smiling without a care in the world.

Because things were about to get serious.


End file.
